Turkmenistan's Pipeline Plans Face Headwinds As Regional Tensions Escalate

The return of the Taliban in Kabul looked fatal for the fortunes of Turkmenistan’s dream to build a trans-Afghan natural gas pipeline. With an internationally proscribed militant group in charge of Afghanistan, the idea of raising credit from any major global financial institution to fund work on the TAPI pipeline became remote. But there are indications that Ashgabat is working behind the scenes to change that. Karachi-based news website Business Recorder reported on November 11 that the Turkmenistan-based head of the TAPI consortium, Muhammetmyrat…